Representatives from several veterans groups in Connecticut joined Sen. Richard Blumenthal Tuesday to give their support to legislation aimed at reducing suicide among returning members of the armed forces.
Blumenthal sponsored the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, which passed in the U.S. House of Representatives last year but never cleared the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate.
“Sen. Tom Coburn from Oklahoma disagreed with the bill,” Blumenthal explained. “But he’s gone now.”
The senator said he wants Congress to make the measure a priority as Republicans take control.
It would provide an extra $100 million in funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs to hire more psychiatrists and psychologists and to boost online services already available.
"They take their own lives largely because of unmet needs for help,” Blumenthal said.
Local veterans groups, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, AMVETS and Disabled American Veterans, have thrown their support behind the measure.
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"It's about time we do something for these poor folks who suffer from PTSD,” said Barry Bernier, of the Disabled American Veterans. “We need to advocate for them.”
Suicide among veterans has become one of the most troubling problems facing those who return from combat zones. According to the VA, 48,000 veterans committed suicide from 2005 to 2011. On average, one in five suicides in America is committed by a veteran.
Groups say if veterans have the proper outlets and resources in place, then such tragedies can be avoided altogether.
"It's easier for a service person to talk about those demons that the senator was talking about to another veteran than it is to talk to an ordinary civilian” said Mel Houston, with the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Blumenthal and Houston are advocating for hiring more trained professionals to run support groups for veterans. They say a group setting is ideal because it allows veterans to relate to others who have served in combat.
